The Haunting in Connecticut...do you believe it as a true story?

[Disney1fan2002]

I saw the original story on the tv show A Haunting, and it was one of the more scary ones.

I watched the movie last night, and I have my doubts. Most of it was being seen by the boy who was on cancer treatments that could cause hallucinations. Nobody in the house could see what he was seeing.

Haunted house or a boy who was hallucinating?

 

[Stacerita]

I only saw the movie, and I will say it scared me. A lot. I hope to see the documentry on it to get a better idea of the truth. But from the movie alone I do have some doubts. I mean.....if all those bodies were hidden in the walls, wouldn't someone know that? That would be some proof and not just a hallucination. Honestly, I think it was a bit of both. Something hookie was going on in that house, but the boy was also sick taking strong drugs.

I am interested in what others' take on it will be.

 

[HeyIt'sMe]

I haven't seen the movie yet. My DSis saw it and she thinks the boy was hallucinating because of his cancer treatments. But she doesn't believe in anything paranormal to begin with. (I do.)

I'll have to rent it this weekend and check it out for myself.

 

[MinnieMe87]

I went to the theater and saw it, and let me tell ya..it was creepy in the dark watching it! I think a lot of it seems far fetched. The bodies in the walls just seemed like it wasn't right. Like Stacerita said, you'd think someone would know. I mean..wouldn't there be a little bit of an odor still?

The Boy seeing things, doesn't seem to far fetched for me though. I've heard stories about people close to dying seeing ghosts and talking to them and such. I think there are spirits out there, but I do have to admit much of the movie was just too much for me to believe.

 

[SkyGirl]

"Based" on a true story. I think that much of it was true and I think some of it was exaggerated to make the movie more exciting. I do think that something was in that house with them, though.

When I was in treatment, I did "see" things. I don't know that I'd call it a hallucination -- things like bugs that weren't there, which I attributed to stress. However, I do believe something else that was touched on in the movie. The man who was in chemo with the son, he talked about walking in the shadow of death, about being in the borderlands. I do believe that people with cancer are there in the borderlands. We have a foot in each world and in that other world, we might see things that "are" there, but that people with both feet in the other world, can't see.

If that makes any sense or only does to me ...

 

[Jsme]

I read about the real happening prior to seeing the movie. Then we rented the movie and then I went back online and did more research.

I will not go so far as to say I do not believe some of the happenings in the movie could or did happen. However, I think they really took advantage and really stretched a lot.

 

[Eeyores Butterfly]

I haven't seen it, but whenever something is "based on" or "inspired by" a true story I take it with a bucket of salt. a prime example of this is the Amityville Horror. The couple who bought the house made the whole thing up because they couldn't handle living in a house where several people were murdered. The son never even mentioned the voices or ghosts until they said something, and then his defense latched onto it in hope he would get off on mental illness. Several families have lived there since and the only bad part was the publicity generated by the book and movie. The famous "eye windows" have been replaced and there have been no paranormal happenings in that house.

In the same way, the Exorcist is based on a real case in St. Louis but was changed a great deal with a lot added to make it more dramatic. It sounds like this movie does something similar. Takes a case that is on its own creepy enough and adds to do it for the drama factor.

 

[browneyes106]

I saw the A Haunting episode about a year ago and I remember the other son was seeing stuff too.

 

[Planogirl]

I saw the A Haunting episode about a year ago and I remember the other son was seeing stuff too.

I was about to mention that. Plus later the whole family saw things.

Interesting that only the boy apparently sees things in the movie. I'm sure that the directors took artistic liberty though.

I don't know if I believe the story or not. I just try to keep an open mind. My problem is that I believe in ghosts but I don't like anything demonic. I think that I'd really prefer to not believe in such evil.

 

[WhateverLolaWants]

I did some googling after I rented the movie. Apparently the parents had a lot of inconsistencies in their stories (mom said one thing, dad said another) according to the man who interviewed them for a book. There's also this little tidbit I found on Wiki: Ray Garton has said, "I never met the son, who was said to be ill, although I was allowed to talk to him on the phone once, supervised by Carmen [his mother]. When the boy began to talk about drugs and told me that he didn’t hear and see strange things in the house once he began taking medication, Carmen ended the conversation." I do believe in paranormal happenings, but I don't think it happened in this instance.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

In the same way, the Exorcist is based on a real case in St. Louis but was changed a great deal with a lot added to make it more dramatic. It sounds like this movie does something similar. Takes a case that is on its own creepy enough and adds to do it for the drama factor.

Yes, I have heard the priest on the radio that did the exorcism. He said nothing like that happened that was portrayed in the movie.

My mom and sis watched it the other day. I will have to rent it.

 

[Rora]

I don't know if I believe the story or not. I just try to keep an open mind. My problem is that I believe in ghosts but I don't like anything demonic. I think that I'd really prefer to not believe in such evil.

I agree. This movie was scary though!! I couldn't shower with shower curtain for like a week!

Honestly, I haven't done enough research on the 'true story' to make any judgements but I wouldn't doubt that some of the movie was fabricated for that "Hollywood Appeal".

I guess what I find most strange (aside from the bodies, sightings, etc) is the fact that the boy's cancer was cured at the end? They made it seem like he was going to die in the very near future and then all of a sudden, it's gone.